The Unseen Player

cutemouse1Imagine a family of mice who lived all their lives in a large piano. To them in their piano-world came the music of the instrument, filling all the dark spaces with sound and harmony.

At first the mice were impressed by it. They drew comfort and wonder from the thought that there was Someone who made the mice—though invisible to them—above, yet close to them. They loved to think of the Great Player whom they could not see.

Then one day a daring mouse climbed up part of the piano and returned very thoughtful. He had found out how the music was made. Wires were the secret; tightly stretched wires of graduated lengths which trembled and vibrated. They must revise all their old beliefs: none but the most conservative could any longer believe in the Unseen Player.

Later, another explorer carried the explanation further. Hammers were now the secret, numbers of hammers dancing and leaping on the wires. This was a more complicated theory, but it all went to show that they lived in a purely mechanical and mathematical world. The Unseen Player came to be thought of as a myth.

But the pianist continued to play.
(from an old article printed in London England)

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Author: Pastor Clegguart Mitchell

I’m Clegguart Charles Mitchell III. It’s pronounced Clay-Gert and I’m named after my grandfather and great-grandfather. I’m a husband to Jenny, dad of eight, and pastor of South County Bible Church in St. Louis. I grew up in Iowa and have spent most of my adult life in pastoral ministry. I write because writing helps me think - mostly about Scripture, ministry, people, and the intersection of biblical truth with ordinary life. My approach to ministry is pretty simple: Preach the Word. Love the People. Trust the Lord. I’m still learning what all three require.

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